Forged Legacy

Harvey awoke to a splitting headache, a sea of notifications, and a concerned Elena staring down at him. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tried to sit up, but collapsed when excruciating pain overwhelmed his tired nerves.

“Harvey? What the hell, are you ok?” She stammered.

“No.” He croaked. “I’m not.”

“What happened?” She asked, lifting a piece of dented armor from the pile beside him.

“An F-Grade elemental nearly beat me to death, but my wand blew up in its mouth before it could finish the job.” He wheezed. “Help.”

She gingerly grabbed his legs and swung them over the side of the cot. Again, pain shot through him wherever she touched, but it wasn’t just his body that was hurting. It felt like the elemental was still pummeling his inscribed chestpiece, and he wondered if the problem was really his soul.

He winced when her hand moved under his back, but fought through the pins and needles as she raised him to a sitting position.

“You fought an evolved elemental and lived? Why didn’t you just run!” She shrieked.

“They ambushed me as soon as I walked out of the tunnel. Cut off my escape and forced me to fight my way out. The G Grades were already getting smarter, but they’re almost like humans once they evolve.” He explained.

“I told you not to go down there!” She accused, slapping his arm. Her soft hands hurt worse than a charging Stonetusk, and a whimpering scream escaped his lips. “I told you, but you didn’t listen. You know your limits. You aren’t afraid of anything…”

“I know! I know. You were right.” He protested.

“Damn right I was, and you better never forget it! You’re not going back down there until Hannah and Julian get back!” She commanded.

“Nobody will be. I blew up the tunnel.” He chuckled.

“WHAT! Is that what that noise was last night!” Her face burned cherry red, and he winced as she barely restrained herself from hitting him again.

“Of course I did! Now that I know there’s sapient metal men hellbent on destroying us down there, I wasn’t going to just leave the door open!” Harvey replied.

He couldn’t tell if she wanted to kill him or curse him, but in the end, she chose to wrap him in a sobbing hug. His skin burned wherever she touched him, like he had the worst sunburn of his life all the way down to his bones.

“Ow. Ow!” He winced. “I appreciate the concern, but you’re hurting me!” Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NoveIＦire.net

“You can’t keep acting like you’re invincible, Harvey. I can’t lose you, too.” She sobbed.

“I know.” He sighed.

“You keep saying that, but it doesn’t change anything.” Elena condemned.

“Trust me. That fight gave me a lot to think about…” He trailed.

He couldn’t look her in the eyes anymore, so he turned to the notifications pressing at the back of his mind. They were an easy distraction from the hurricane in his mind.

You have slain Level 21 - Lesser Iron Elemental. Essence Gained. 1786 Merit Earned

You have slain Level 23 - Lesser Iron Elemental. Essence Gained. 1911 Merit Earned

You have slain Level 26 - Iron Elemental. Major Essence Gained. 2792 Merit Earned

That’s less merit than I expected for how strong those things were. Harvey mused.

Your class, Arcanist, has reached Level 20. +1 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +2 Wisdom, +1 Willpower, +2 Free Points

…

Your class, Arcanist, has reached Level 22. +1 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +2 Wisdom, +1 Willpower, +2 Free Points

…

Your Race, Veilstrider, has reached Level 21. +1 to all stats

His body didn’t let him level until it knew he was safe, so he must have leveled in his sleep. It was a good thing, too, because if he’d been forced to endure the pain of having his weave expanded by 3 class levels at once while he was still inside the cave, he would’ve been knocked unconscious.

The kill notifications and level-ups were expected, but he was surprised to find one more he hadn’t seen before.

You have sustained a traumatic injury to your weave. Until it has fully healed, your ability to both channel and regenerate essence is severely weakened, along with a significant reduction to your stats. This injury has unlocked early access to the Weave menu.

So it was true, he had done something to his weave. With a thought, a new menu similar to the Status and Legacy screens hovered in the air in front of him.